Driving mechanism for information carriers in information scanning devices



Jan. 13, 1970 R. RAMSTETTER 3,489,024

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR INFORMATION CARRIERS IN INFORMATION SCANNING DEVICES Filed Nov. 1, 1967 O 77$? 9 2 30 0 2| I48 I20 M 2:8 4 I3 l2 0 E 24 Q 4o '8 28 l6 l5 22 23 E T I a O 20 1': 8 A 4c n y 4 4c 27 29 2 l9 m ll/0 1 )4 l6 a El will/////////////////////////)//////////////////// .8

0 o o o 0 I? m a To 26 INVENTOR 7%; R DOLF RAMSTETTER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Int. Cl. F16h 27/02 US. Cl. 74142 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-stage driving mechanism for changingthe speed of feeding of information carriers in simple programming devices, consisting of a reversible electromotor on the shaft of which two freewheel clutches are arranged, each clutch being effective in opposite direction of rotation and coupled by means of a transmission mechanism with driving element of said information carrier.

This invention relates to a driving mechanism for information carriers in mechanical scanning devices and, more particularly, to a two-stage driving mechanism which can be switched as to operate at two different speed rates and is applicable for simple programming devices, for instance in washing machines.

It is known to provide such driving mechanisms with a costly toothed-wheel gearing in order to obtain different feed rates of the information carrier to be scanned. With such known models the various speeds are shifted by means of a number of electromagnetic clutches, for example.

In another known embodiment, electromotors adapted to be switched into different speeds of revolution have been used for driving information carriers.

The disadvantage of these embodiments known from prior art is that toothed-wheel gearings are very complicated with regard to their construction inasmuch as they require a number of gear wheels, bearings, and electromagnetic clutches. Especially the electromagnetic clutches and gear wheels constitute construction units of high value and are, therefore, expensive. Electromotors shiftable into different rates of revolution and exactly maintaining the various rates of revolution substantially independently of the load are also complicated arrangements which, for reasons of cost, cannot be considered for application in simple programming devices, such as in household machines.

The object of this invention is to provide a driving mechanism for information carriers which, by using a simple reversible electromotor, permits the information carrier feed at two different speeds.

It is another object of this invention to provide a driving mechanism which has a very simple and stable construction and is not expensive.

According to the present invention these objects are attained in that the driving mechanism comprises'an electric driving motor adapted to be driven in both directions of rotation, said driving motor being coupled to the driving element of the information carrier both via two freewheel clutches effective in opposite directions of rotational and two simple transmission mechanisms of different transmission coordinated to said freewheel clutches.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention are accomplished will be more fully expl'ained hereinbelow with respect to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows schematically one embodiment of a driving mechanism according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 shows another variation of this driving mechanism.

In FIG. 1, a reversible driving electromotor 1 is illustrated, which can be switched by means of switching member 28 to rotate in the desired direction of rotation. On the prolonged shaft 2 of the motor 1, there are located two freewheel clutches 30' and 40 which are rotatable in opposite directions with respect one to another; as a consequence, during rotation of the shaft 2 in one direction, only one of the freewheel clutches 30 and 40 is in engagement, whereas the second one is running free. In this particular embodiment, the freewheel clutches 30 and 40 support cam plates 3 and 4, respectively, whereby each cam plate comprises a different number of cams, for instance, cam plate 3 comprises one cam and cam 4 comprises four cams.

A fork-shaped rocking lever 5 having two fork arms 6a and 6b is swingably mounted on a swivel pin 7. Between the fork arms, an axle 9 is affixed to pivotally support respective cam follower levers 10 and 12 which are provided with cam followers 10a and 12a resting on the slides of the cam plates 3 and 4 and being kept in abutment therewith bymeans of the tension springs 11 and 13. The upward movement of respective cam follower levers 10 and 12 is transmitted by the limit stops of fork arms 6a and 6b to the rocking lever 5, at the free end of which the pawl 8 is pivotably connected and engaging a stepping ratchet wheel 14. The ratchet wheel 14 is disposed on a shaft 15 which transmits the rotational movement onto the driving element 16 and onto the toothing 18 of the information carrier 17. The information carrier 17 may have the form of a programming card, for example, provided with control guides or pins 17a and following the direction of movement towards a scanning unit 19 which comprises touching elements (not shown) by means of which it is in contact with said control pins 17a.

When the driving motor 1 rotates, for instance, in the right hand direction then the cam plate 4 is in engagement (cam plate 3 is running free) and moves back and forth the cam follower lever 12, fork-shaped lever 5 and pawl 8 which in turn rotates step-by-step the ratchet wheel 14, shaft 15, pinion 16 and moves the information carrier 17. A pawl 20 is provided to prevent a reverse revolution of the ratchet wheel 14 during the idle stroke of the pawl 8. The pawl 20 is mounted to a pawl lever 21 which at its free end is pivotally connected to the pull rod 22. The pull rod 22 is rigidly connected to the magnet core 23 which is disposed within the magnet coil 24. Furthermore, the pull rod 22 is connected to the pawl '8 and cooperates with the scanning device 19 by means of the lever 28. When the magnet core 23 is moved to the right the pawl 8 and the pawl 20 at at the same time become disengaged from the ratchet wheel '14 so that the information carrier is freely movable independently of the driving mechanism. At the same time the lever 28 has the effect that the pins, levers, or the like, touching the information carrier 17 inside the scanning device 19 are lifted so that these touching elements do not prevent the movement of the information carrier 17. In the above described position of the driving mechanism the tension spring 26 in cooperation with the rope 2S coiled around the shaft 15, returns the information carrier 17 to its initial position.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of this invention wherein instead of two cam plates and a fork-shaped lever a simple transmission lever and rope transmission is employed. On the shaft 2 of driving motor 1, the freewheel clutches 30 and 40 are disposed in the same manner as in the embodiment in FIG. 1. The clutch 30 is similarly provided with the cam plate 3 having a single cam, but

the clutch 40 supports a rope pulley 4a which transmits the motion by means of the rope 40 onto a further rope pulley 4b disposed on the information carrier driving shaft 15. The rocking lever 5 is a simple lever pivotably mounted on the swivel pin 7 and provided at one end with a cam follower 5b which is kept in abutment with cam plate 3 by means of the spring =11. At the other end of the rocking lever 5, the pawl 8 is hinged and engages the ratchet wheel 14 in the manner as described in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the shaft 15 comprises an electromagnetical clutch 27 controlled by clutch control means 29. By means of the clutch 27 the driving pinion 16 can be separated from the driving mechanism so that the information carrier 17 can freely move back and forth. Here, too, the return movement of the information carrier 17 is brought about by means of the spring 26 and the rope when the magnetical clutch 27 is disengaged. A switching device 28 is also provided for electromotor 1 to reverse its motion and, consequently, to actuate one of freewheel clutches 30 or and thereby to change the speed of feeding of the information carrier 17.

The foregoing disclosure relates only to preferred embodiments of the present invention, which is intended to include all changes and modifications of the examples described within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

-1. A two-stage driving mechanism for information carriers in information scanning devices having a mechanical scanning unit and information carrier driving means, comprising a reversible driving motor having a shaft, two freewheel clutches arranged on said shaft and respectively being effective for opposite direction of rotation of said shaft, and transmission means coupling said respective clutches with said information carrier driving means.

2. The two-stage driving mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said transmission means comprises two cam plates respectively supported by said clutches and having a different number of cams, two cam follower levers respectively abutting said cam plates, a fork-shaped rocking lever the fork of which pivotably supports said camfollower levers and forms a limit stop therefor, and a pawl hinged to the opposite end of said rocking lever and being in engagement with a stepping mechanism which is operatively connected with said carrier driving means.

3. The driving mechanism according to claim 2 wherein 4 said stepping mechanism is a ratchet wheel having a ratchet to prevent a backward movement of said ratchet wheel.

4. The driving mechanism according to claim 3 further comprising a driving member for said carrier driving scanning unit to release the movement of said information carrier.

5. The driving mechanism according to claim 4 further comprising a driving member for said carrier driving means to drive automatically the latter in opposite direction after actuation of said disengaging means.

6. The driving mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said transmission means comprises one cam plate supported by one of said clutches, a cam follower rocking lever the cam follower of which is in abutment with said cam plate, a pawl hinged to the opposite end of said cam follower rocking lever and being in engagement with said stepping mechanism, and a rope transmission between the second of said clutches and said carrier driving means.

7. The driving mechanism according to claim 6 further comprising an electromagnetically activated clutch which is provided between said carrier driving means and said transmission means.

8. The driving mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said driving member is a spring which exercises a momentum on said carrier driving means in the direction opposite to the feeding direction.

9. The driving mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said disengaging means is an electromagnetically activated lever coupled to said pawl, ratchet and scanning unit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 295,446 3/1884 Sisum l92 48.92 375,291 12/1887 Hildebrand 74-l25 1,916,997 7/1933 Tauschek 74-142 2,530,961 11/1950 Hansen 74-142 2,885,896 5/1959 Hungerford et al. 192-4892 3,192,796 7/1965 Peeps et al. 74568 FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner W. S. RATLIFF, JR., Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

Pater-r 8QO? Dated Januarv 11.35270 RudOl f RAMS BETTER Inven':or(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column L:- line 5 a driving member for said carrier driving" should read means for disengaging said pawl, ratched and MAY 1 21970 .Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher. Ir. mmim 1;; San-137mm. JR An fing Officer 1 Oner of Patents 

